Pitchfork Festival has been a must on my list for a while. The bands are more obscure the crowd is more…hmm…what’s the polite word… selective? Asides from the rain that had us temporarily stranded in the streets, the fest was a success. I ate a vegan corn dog and had a variety of hard ciders and I laughed when people thought it was hot outside. Chicago is full of wimps, just kidding, I couldn’t’ do winter here so we’ll call it even.
CHVRCHES
So many great tracks from Chvrches. They weren’t very keen about the hot weather but come on I’ve seen you guys in Houston before and this was a breeze compared to FPSF. Mayberry gave a nod to the U.S. Women’s soccer team and kicked a beach ball into the crowd like the badass she is. So much voice for such a small person.
Shamir
Shamir is as danceable as you get. His voice is very androgynous, a word that you don’t hear a lot for men, but it reminds me of a Prince/David Bowie type voice. As soon as “On The Regular” started playing people rushed to the stage to dance and most of them fell in the mud, which was hilarious because I had picked a lovely spot on a piece of concrete. What’s amazing about Shamir is that he hasn’t released a lot of music but he continues to impress with the same
Sleater Kinney
Sleater Kinney If you have ever listened to Sleater-Kinney and wondered what the fuss was about, I highly recommend you see them live. Her vocals are incredible live and her voice carries through the crowd. Carrie is as dynamic on stage as expected. She fell to the ground and there were plenty of high kicks. Even better is the crowds energy, I didn’t even know some of the words and I was able to chant them the entire time like some Sleater-Kinney demon invaded all of our souls. Let me note that I was alone and sober at this festival and I danced like a maniac during the whole show. Carrie said “this isn’t pretty and it’s not supposed to be,” which pretty much sums up their whole persona. No their music isn’t “pretty” but it’s intense and powerful much like all of these women.
Chance The Rapper
He’s the hometown hero, the lord of Chicago, his minions gathered for him in probably the largest crowd at the festival. Chance had a lovely medley of tracks from Acid and Surf. He was very connected to his fans and he seemed so proud of himself but not in an arrogant way. He said “this is the last show in Chicago in this part of my life. I’m growing up.” Which means he is about to make it really big. Which we all know. He loves his Chicago family.
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